The Truth: Apologies, reparations and “Never Again”
When I read some of the articles in this week’s Sojourner’s Truth, I felt some trepidation about this, because I realize something about internet discussion and our nation as a whole. It’s hard to talk about the topic of reparations in a fair or realistic manner. As I read Reverend Perryman’s Never Again, especially this part:
But even if America, in a sudden, miraculous epiphany moment “got it,” the legacy of slavery, hate and racism would undoubtedly still linger in the soul of black America. This is perhaps as it should be despite the callousness that clamors for African-Americans to stop talking about it.
Randall Robinson, author of “The Debt: What America Owes to Blacks,” sees the apology as a “confession” that should preclude reparations as the next step. He states: “Much is owed, and it is very quantifiable. It is owed as one would owe for any labor that one has not paid for and until steps are taken in that direction, we have not accomplished a thing.”That step is likely to be a long awaited one if it arrives at all. But by commemorating and voicing our pain (as others do unashamedly and without criticism) we solidify our resolve against all forms of genocide, hate and racism. As with others, so also may we shout “NEVER AGAIN!”
I remembered this statement:
“May the injustices and humiliation suffered here as a result of hysteria, racism, and economic exploitation never emerge again.”
You may think that comment is related to slavery, it’s not. It’s the words written on a stone in Manzanar, California, a stone I stood before, at what used to be a prison camp where our nation held Japanese Americans…
Then I read Lafe Tolliver’s article, Reparations … Hey! It’s a White Thing, Too!.
It’s relevant to point out the position on reparations that then Senator, now President Obama stated during the campaign trail. What’s also interesting is that in his article Reverend Perryman also focused on recent Gallup polling that suggests African-Americans agree more with the GOP related to moral issues than the Democratic Party. Another issue that seems to be a dividing point for some is the issue of reparations, one part of a recent release on reparations and the apology from the Senate:
Project 21 members voicing skepticism about the politics behind the resolution and the need for it:
Jerry Brooks (Auburn, WA): “I’ll accept the Senate’s apology, but let’s move on already. This apology is something that might have been more appropriate long ago, and now it’s likely going to be misused by those with a political axe to grind. In particular and despite its intention to the contrary, it is already being used to promote reparations. Not only is this an idea without merit, but an extremely foolish one to be clinging to while our nation is trying to recover from its current economic distress.”
On the other side of the political spectrum, there’s this article on the Huffington Post, written by Yvonne Davis that not only provides her opinion but a brief overview of some of those who have gotten reparations and those who have not. She writes this in closing:
Perhaps what African Americans can do with the apology is take pride in knowing that we are the survivors of a great Maafa (Swahili for disaster or terrible occurrence) and despite the current challenges of racism today, we are not victims. We are alive, surviving and thriving — with the success of so many throughout our history culminating in the first African American President, we are still rising.
Senators, I accept your apology on behalf of America, but I don’t need it to be free to achieve the American Dream!
I believe it’s fair to state that the issue of reparations is not one that is agreed on as for or against by either political ideology or by race…The general consensus in polls have been taken for years, with generally whites less in support of reparations than blacks, in 2002 but only a slight majority of blacks in support and that has not really changed as reported in 2008 when the question of what happened to the topic of reparations was looked at.
I hope you take the time to read both of the shared articles in the Truth in full, and the other items linked, then weigh in with your thoughts.
Lisa,
As far as reparations go, those who profited from the practice of owning and keeping slaves maybe should pay reparations, but to whom?
Last time I checked all who claimed to be slaves were long dead.
And, paying reparations to the ancestors of former slaves makes everything all right exactly how?
Slavery was real and it indeed did happen, but nothing can be done now to correct for the injustices then.
To me, the issue of reparations is a money grab pure and simple and nothing more.
June 26th, 2009 at 3:37 pmThe reparations have already been paid. Nearly 700,000 casualties in the Civil War, the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution and the EEOC.
June 26th, 2009 at 3:56 pmPart of me thinks that if you are not happy in America and feel that we owe you something there is nobody forcing you to stay here. I never saw the mass exodus of blacks going to their homeland, I have never heard any blacks pleading for passage back to Africa. Most likely this is because modern day blacks have many opportunities, sadly many do not take advantage of them. I try and understand, I know racism exists, I have not lived it so cannot say “I know what its like” but I also believe racism goes both ways.
June 26th, 2009 at 6:22 pmSlavery is a horrible, dark time in American history, one that will never be forgotten or repeated. Because of those ancestors who suffered mightily under slavery many people who would live in some pretty horrifying conditions now have the chance to live the American Dream in the greatest country on earth.
Use the opportunity wisely.
If reparations are appropriate the folks that owe the money are dead and buried. The apology was surely long overdue. But if the people who owe the money and the people who are entitled to the money are all dead – that’s it.
June 27th, 2009 at 11:51 amI blame this all on the Romans….
Were not the sellers of slaves from Africa as equally guilty as the buyers?
I would maintain that most racists of today in this country are blacks…against whites. They have learned this from their ancestors. They also learned to rely on government for their needs. Government has promised but only delivered in part…in fact, the delivery has been a sham. Promise of government continues…results ramain nothing more than promises.
Just this week, Al Gore raved about the civil rights legislation of the ’60’s. Yet, his father voted against all of it. After all, he was a southern democrat…as was Al Jr. In the election of 2000, he lost his own state. HE LOST HIS OWN STATE. Hanging chads would have meant nothing if he could only have convinced his own people of what was best for them and that only he could deliver. They didn’t buy it.
Today’s society is in decline soley because of the breakdown of the family as a unit. End of story.
Until death do us part…that’s the way it was…but not now. One mother…multiple fathers and multiple babies. No responsibilty for anyone. Just hold your hand out to the government. They will continue to provide as in the past..nothing.
Bring back the families and things will improve. Bring back marriage..in church. Bring back family, fidelity, truth, honesty, faith, honor and respect. Respect for all.
Who do you respect?
To whom are you faithful?
What do you believe?
Reparations? Faggetaboutit.
June 27th, 2009 at 2:29 pmmeghan Says:
June 27th, 2009 at 2:31 pmPart of me thinks that if you are not happy in America and feel that we owe you something there is nobody forcing you to stay here. I never saw the mass exodus of blacks going to their homeland, I have never heard any blacks pleading for passage back to Africa.
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Isn’t going back to ones homeland the same as going back to your place of birh? I was not born in Africa nor my father or his father. Why would I choose to go back somewhere that I did not come from. It kills me when non blacks say if you don’t like it go back to Africa. On the other side of my family tree my grandfather was German. If I don’t like America am I suppose to “go back to Germany”. I am only having fun with you Meghan.
I’d be in trouble Tina, part of my father’s side of the family has been here even before we were a nation, but I’d have to go back to Poland, France, England, Germany, Ireland and Canada.
Seriously though, there were attempts in the 1800’s for blacks to return to Africa, that’s how the American colony of Liberia was formed. One of the first presidents of Liberia came from Ohio. Some of those who went did not go voluntarily though, they were freed as slaves after the death of their owner with the specific intention of them being sent back to Africa. Some of the problems Liberia had were directly related to conflict between the former slaves from America and those that were native born to the area. In many ways it reminds me of what happened with Palestine, where other governments decided to give land to others with little consideration for those who were there before. We also did this with the Native American Indians.
Liberia continued to have problems related to the slavery trade even after former slaves were in control of the government. This continued into the 1960’s where people were forced into labor by the government and differed very little from slavery.
Historically one of my main problems with the theory of reparations is that it doesn’t address the whole issue of slavery. It would punish those who purchased the slaves but does not take into consideration those responsible for profiting from the sale of slaves, which did involve blacks as well as Europeans. Had the slave trade industry not existed, there would have been no slaves bought. Prior to that indentured servants were used more often, which some could debate did not vary much from slavery beyond there existing a certain point where you knew you would be free. Yet, the history of our world when it comes to capturing, buying and selling of people existed before then, Vikings and Rome and probably even before then back to the days of the cave men when weaker tribes were conqured and captured.
June 27th, 2009 at 3:08 pmLisaRenee wrote:
Abraham Lincoln was behind the shipments to Liberia.
June 27th, 2009 at 9:00 pmAs I have been saying for ages, I do not understand why we would want to issue reperations. most of us never had ancestors owning slaves, and most blacks are not directly affected by this…
July 5th, 2009 at 11:11 pm